Tacca chantrieri André

Tacca chantrieri André, Rev. Hort. [Paris]. 1901, 541.

Tacca chantrieri André, Photo by Hoang Thanh Son

The native range of this species is Assam to S. China and Peninsula Malaysia. It is a rhizomatous geophyte and grows primarily in the wet tropical biome.

Vietnamese name: 

Râu hùm, Phá lủa (Tày), Ngải rợm, Nưa, Cẩm địa la, Râu hùm hoa tía, Ping đô (Kdong), Cu dòm (Bana)

Latin name: 

Tacca chantrieri Andre – Tacca paxiana Limpr.

Family: 

Taccaceae

Uses: 

Numbness, dysmenorrhea, stomach pain, spinal pain, hepatitis, jaundice, high blood pressure, scabies, rash (Rhizophrenia decoction). It is also a raw material for extracting diosgenin to make anti-inflammatory drugs and endocrine drugs.

Distribution: 

Lao Cai, Ha Giang, Thai Nguyen, Hoa Binh, Son La, Bac Kan. The tree grows naturally in moist forests in bamboo forests, along streams and ravines.

Flowering and fruiting season: 

Flowering and fruiting season: May-September; July-October